The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1887-11-08
A CORPSE IN THE ocMULGEE.
The Body Found at Macon Sunday
Fully Identified.

| ruby
| MACON. Nov. Yesterday afternoon
r. H. Cherry and j. j. Myers, while COM
| ing up the river in boat, discovered the
body of drowned man in the Ocmulgee,
near the east bank, opposite the grand
stand at the park. The river was very shall
low and the body was lying on the bottom
| half expo ed to view. They reported the
matter and Coroner Hodnett summoned a
| jury and an inquest was held this morning.
| The body was removed from the river, but
it was so swollen, and the face was SO much
disfgured as TO render form and
feature unrecognizable. The face
had burst near the nose from ex-
cessive swelling from long confinement
in the water. The man was well dressed,
and from letters i'll his pocket directed 70
r. p. Cook il was evident that the deceased
was r. p. Cook, a well-known citizen OF
Jones county, who was Sheriff OF that
county few years ago. On Thursday OF
fair week Will Boss found a mans hat
lodged in the river against the boom Just
below the Central railroad bridge. This
hat was produced this morning and Coroner
Hodnett recognized it as the hat he saw
Cook wear1pg on Wednesday of State Fair
week while Cook and l.. Grace were stand
ing talking in front of the saloon Of l..
Hancock on Mulberry street.
WHEN LAST SEEN
The last seen of Cook in life, as far as was
heard, was on Wednesday night of fair
week. at Cassidys bar. corner Of Mulberry
and Fifth streets He evidently met his
death that night, but whether he was muir
dered and thrown into the river or fell into
the river from the bridge, or in some other
manner, will perhaps forever remain mys-
terry Besides the letters found in Cooks
pockets this morning was 81 80 In
cash The finding of this money
might explode the idea of robbery
and murder but for the fact that Coroner
Hodnett states that according to his recollec-
ton Cook wore handsome gold watch and
chain when he saw him on Wednesday of fair
week, and no chain and watch was on the
body to-day when it was taken from the
water. r. H. Cherry and j. J. Myers were
the only persons admitted at the inquest
this morning, and they merely testified to
the finding of the body yesterday. A YER
dict in accordance with the above facts was
rendered.
THE ALLEGED FLORIDA MURDERER.
AS stated in this mornings News, Detec-
tive w. G. Rhodes. of Florida yesterday
arrested Deputy United States Marshal
Bledsoe in the United States building in
this city charged with the murder of John
Hollifield in the fallsof 1884 in fernando
moved from Butts county, Georgia. Holh-
field mysterously disappeared and was
never seen in life again. A short time ago
the skeleton of man was
found in a marsh in fernando county,
and it was decided that it was the remains
of Hollifed, lwho had been
murdered for $500 or 5000 that
he had on his person when last seen. Shortly
after Hollifield disappeared Bledsoe, who was
living in fernando county also disappeared.
On the finding of the skeleton the name of
Bledsoe Immediately became associated with
it as the murderer. Detectives had been
following on Bledsoe's track for some time,
and he was arrested yesterday and taken
to Florida last night He strongly denies all
knowledge of the murder and any connec-
ton Herewith
Bibb Superior Court convened to-day.
Voolfolk will hardly be tried under two
weeks, as the civil docket will be disposed
of first